Definition of “Goth-a-psychobilly-punk-hard-surf”:

…The Gravetones! Didn’t you know? One day while checking out new music, I stumbled upon this band that reminded me a bit of The Cramps and The Ramones. On a visit to their Myspace page, I noticed that they list Elvis, The Damned, and 45 Grave (among other bands) as their influences and I knew that the music would be something worthwhile. And it is!

There are a lot of bands in Chicago – and I like a ton of them – but, over the years the music that I’ve found to be high energy, made you aggressive and upbeat at the same time, and had a unique, but familiar sound, were dominantly from other cities or other countries. The Gravetones are a Chicago band and I couldn’t be more pleased about that. They’ve been around for quite a while with various band members, but I think they’ve nailed it with the current lineup and the new CD, “Dig It” on the Criminal IQ label.

No one has an excuse for not catching them live because they have two upcoming shows on two sides of the city. This weekend they open at Beat Kitchen on Sunday, June 22nd and next month on Saturday, July 5th at Reggie’s. Despite what many think about bands that aren’t the average bar scene/rock band sound with a neighborhood fan base, The Gravetones are a welcoming bunch of guys who have a humorously macabre style that makes psychobilly-punk accessible to the playful macabre in anyone. Come out on Sunday!

Oh Tom, no one knows what I’m talking about here because I’m always pushing the indie bands, the lesser known bands, the new bands, the bands from overseas, the genres that people are afraid of, and those bands that you don’t usually hear on commercial radio. Well, at least I don’t think so since I haven’t listened to commercial radio in several years. Besides, no one should be at a Bon Jovi concert without having gotten lost and accidentally ending up there. And I love reading your blogs because I haven’t kept up with the fashion world since my subscription to W Magazine expired in 2004! By the way, Elvis Costello has a show in Milwaukee on July 25th!!